Believing the Belief

Recently, I was asked about my beliefs on a particular subject. It was a very important subject to me but for the purposes of this post, it does not matter. It was not an on the spot question. I was writing the answer down so I had time to think about my answer. I decided to see what others thought on the subject. I truly believe in 1 Peter 3:15-16. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 

Of course this started out with me checking out views of others on one subject. That just led me to reading up on the beliefs of other groups and people in different areas. As I read through these different ideas and beliefs, I found myself feeling sadden, unsure and alone. See, as I read about the beliefs of the group that I associate myself with now when it comes to the original subject of y search, I found that I did not like their attitude towards others who did not believe the same as we do. I then thought about the group that I use to associate with and their views on that subject and I realized that I could not say that I agree with them. I love them and love them dearly but they and I do not agree on a very important subject. That does not mean that I should look down on them and I still associate with many from that group but I cannot identify myself as part of that group in good conscience. I also read stuff on the internet that was critical of my belief. I read that my beliefs are from the pits of Hell. As I pondered these feelings, I came to some realizations and I become more confident in my beliefs.

The first realization is that I cannot worry about others views about me or my beliefs. I am a man of conscience (I believe many who do not agree with me on a variety of subjects are of conscience also). As a man of conscience, I must hold to my core beliefs, no matter what another person thinks about me. God has led me to focus on certain areas and I must stay true to my beliefs in those areas as long as I can show reasons why I believe the way that I believe. 

The second realization is that I must look at people as people. When people are like minded to me in an area, I must not expect to always agree with them and I must remember that they are imperfect humans just the same as me. That does not mean that I should condone things that I feel are wrong such as talking down to others or when someone acts as though they could not be wrong. What it does mean is that I should provide the example of how I think people who think differently should be treated and at times point out that attitude in others with whom I agree when they are talking to others in which we do not agree. That also means when someone that I do not agree with is talking to me then I listen. I will also tell them as much of my argument as they will allow me. I must always live as Christ in my actions. He never forced anyone to listen to Him and He called out His own when they were wrong. 

The third realization was a simple one. I am an individual. God created me to be one and that means I will never see eye to eye on every subject with any one person out there.

The final realization is that I am just human and I do not have all the answers. I do not have to be right in every area. I just have to put my trust in The Truth not a truth. This does not mean that I believe everyone is one is right. Even if there were no one truth in the universe then that would be the one truth. In a world in which everyone disagrees on something, someone must be right and someone must be wrong. What I must do is set my core beliefs and know that I could be wrong a wide range of things. I must always be looking for evidence for my beliefs. That journey can never end. 

I hope this post is not too much rambling. This was more for me to put down the words that I am thinking more than anything but I hope that you the reader gets something out of it. Please do not look at this and think "that guy is closed minded" or "that guy has no beliefs". Trust me, I have very solid beliefs and I am always willing to listen to and discuss those beliefs with others. I do believe that Satan and evil forces use divisions in ideas as a way to keep people isolated from others. That leads to so much evil and ultimately separation from God. 

Getting Started

Once people figure out I'm in to that "hardcore lifting" game, I get asked quite a few questions.  Yes, I'm the guy jacked up on pre workout, usually rocking some heavy metal, and I do get a little loud on max effort lifts (hence why I dropped nearly $2500 to equip my garage with every thing I would need to be successful, commercial gyms just aren't my thing).

One of the most frequent and toughest questions I've come across is, "How do I get started on a workout routine?"

To me that's tough because, it's so individualized.  I can set someone up on a program that I write, and that I do myself, but would they stick to it?  Likely not, as a beginner it would leave them fatigued and too tired to complete the following workouts throughout the week.  It's like me asking an ultra marathon runner what he does to train, and then trying to mirror that on my own.  Just Not.Going.To.Happen.  So, for those looking to just get in the gym, build some muscle, maybe drop some body fat, here are some suggestions I can give.

1.  Stay out of the magazines and off the internet sites with pro's or wanna be pro's who think they can write you a program to get cut and stacked in 6 weeks.  Sure, Flex magazine is fun to look at, and has good information, but those workout programs aren't what the pro's are actually doing day in day out.  KISS method applies here, especially to a new lifter or runner.  It's like those fat burners that are advertised on every page, yeah, they're not going to get your shredded.  They may give you a little kick in the butt in the gym, but their actual ability to burn fat off of you is nil.  A few good starter programs for lifting are: Starting Strength, 5/3/1.  Those are just two of the more well known programs that are easily obtained and started.

2.  Consistency.  My favorite quote from Dorian Yates, "It's all about consistency.  It's like building a house, every day I'm adding a brick."  You have to put in the time, over and over again to make the progress you want.  If you can break through feeling like complete crap, drag yourself out of bed and get to the gym, or garage, to workout you'll start to see that trait bleed over in to other aspects of your life.  Procrastination kills.  Dedication.  Hard Work.  We've all heard that time and time again.

3.  Goal setting.  Like anything else, keeping clear, concise and ATTAINABLE goals are key.  My nephew always wanted to be a body builder.  The kid had genetics, where he got them from who knows, but in high school he was cut.  He lifted occasionally, but he easily could have built his body in to one of those fitness models you see walking around with no shirt on in the winter time just to show their abs.  But...he never set attainable goals.  He wanted to go from zero to hero in 4 weeks.  Along with the bad goal setting, he didn't follow number 2...consistency.  If you're 300 pounds, your goal should be to start with just getting on a good nutrition plan to drop weight.  Set your goal at lets say, 250.  And idea of abs is ok, but the goal needs to be something short term enough to push yourself to success.

4.  Do work that gets you closer to your goals.  If your goal is to lose 25 pounds, busting your rear end in the gym is great, but eating 3000 calories of processed carbs, sweets, sugars, is going to negate that gym time.  Diet and nutrition are upwards to 90% of your success in losing weight.  Cutting out bad carbs, sugars, processed foods and going to a clean, natural diet is going to yield great results on the scale when coupled with a consistent workout plan.


I could go on listing things but getting down to the basics of it all, that's the ground level.  In short, have a clear image and goal of what you want to get out of your workouts, be consistent, and do what works.  I don't know how many times I see people doing something that's contradictory to what their said goals are.  If you want to drop weight, stop eating and drinking crap all the time, if you want to get stronger, start lifting more and supply proper nutrition to your body.  Too many people out there are trying to reinvent the wheel.  Bodybuilding and power lifting have been around for years and years, if you take a look at those who are or who have been successful in the past, they're sticking to old, tried and true methods to get what they want.

Again, no details listed because I really do feel that we're all pretty different.  Some look at what I do as taboo or not normal.  I look at treadmill bunnies as lame and boring.  We all have our thing, part of the journey is actually taking the time to sit down and find out what makes us tick.  What's going to be that thing that gets you going, and keeps you going.  If I went to a trainer that was all about cardio and running on a treadmill, I'd probably throw him the bird on my way out the door.  There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not my cup of tea.  Just like if someone saw how we workout, and how intense we get they'd likely think of me completely different than they do now.  Find what works for you, and roll with it.

And here we go!

A while back Chad approached me about blogging regarding fitness and such, I was hesitant at first, but figured I've accrued quite a bit of knowledge over the past 10 years or so of lifting competitively, and I've worked with some of the brightest, and strongest individuals on the planet, so who knows, this may help push someone in the right direction and give back since I've been helped and blessed by so many in the strength world.

To start, a bit about my background.  29 years old, no, I'm not 30 yet.  I started taking an interest in lifting in high school, off season football, the mean strength coach, all that.  Pretty typical start for most of us meat heads.  I never took lifting seriously though.  It was something we were obligated to do in the off season, and on the off chance it was storming bad enough for the coach to actually say we're not going to practice that morning on the field. After high school, lifting was non-existent for a good while.

Fast forward a bit, cutting out the boring crap.  After realizing my weight had shot up horribly and I was getting lazy, I contacted a few people I found on Google to see about setting up some training.  My first contact was Josh Bryant.  This is when everything I thought I knew, or had been taught in the past changed.  Google Josh Bryant, he's a beast of a man, with the heart of a Saint.  Not only did he push me further physically, he tested me mentally, and even got me on a better path with God (which I admit is something I do struggle with quite a bit).  Josh was the youngest person to bench 600 pounds raw (no bench shirt or support shirt), and had been able to cut weight himself over time.  I knew if anyone could get me going, it'd be him, I just didn't know how far he'd take me, and how much potential he'd unleash in me.  I started on a power lifting method he had put together.  We focused on dead lifts, bench press, and squats.  Cardio was done, but minimal.  When I start with Josh, I was at or close to 400 pounds.  My heaviest ever was 464 back in 2008.  Under Josh, I dropped down to about 320, and did my first power lifting meet.  During that meet, I set 2 state records and came close to a 3rd.

Since then, I've also studied under Ken "Skip" Hill, Brian Dobson, and Brandon Lilly.  I've gotten information or programming from too many people to list on here, that's for sure.

I've managed to get my weight down to 285, but during the winter relaxed a bit, and bulked up just a bit.  My lifts have all gone up, so it's not a total loss.

In March of 2014, I had a minor set back with a rotator cuff injury.  It wasn't severe enough for rehabilitation or medical treatment, but it was a nagging injury I had to address, so I took some time off from lifting heavy.  Now that it's cleared up, I'll be competing in October in a USPLA meet in Carrollton, TX.  I'll have the chance to qualify for an invite to Nationals in Las Vegas for 2015.  In 2015, I'll have the chance to qualify for IPL Worlds, which would be a pretty big step for me.

So, through this blog I plan on touching on some subjects regarding workouts, nutrition from time to time, and some personal goals and such as we roll along.  Any questions or comments, just leave them here and they'll definitely get answered.

Peace

The Exciting Finale of the Top 17 Episodes of Star Trek: Tng

Previously:
17.  Encounter at Farpoint
16.  The Royale
15.  Data's Day
14.  The Masterpiece Society
13.  Chain of Command
12.  The Offspring
11.  The Wounded
10.  Parallels
 9.  Redemption
 8.  The Game
 7.  Tapestry
 6.  The Inner Light

Star Trek: The Next Generation is my favorite television series of all-time. It had everything. It had action, adventure, taught moral lessons, explored humanity, was a social conscious at times and almost always told a story. Here is my top seventeen list of the greatest episodes of the series. As a side note, episodes that were two-parters, I lumped together.

5.  I, Borg
The crew finds a downed Borg ship that has one survivor.  Dr. Crusher brings the Borg back to the Enterprise to take care of him.  It is not a decision that Picard is happy with but he agrees to it.  Guinan thinks Picard is a fool for allowing the Borg onto the ship.  She points out, rightly so, that the other Borg in the area will come looking for him.  La Forge and Data come up with a plan to plant a virus into the Collective via this Borg (Third of Five and later takes on the name Hugh).  As Geordi works with Third of Five, he sees more than just a Borg drone.  He sees a young boy who is afraid and Geordi makes a connection with him.  This is when he and Dr. Crusher decide to rename Third of Five, Hugh.  Hugh grows and starts to take on individuality.  Guinan talks to him and even feels compassion for him.  She talks Picard into talking to Hugh.  When with Picard, Hugh refers to himself as I for the first time.  This leads Picard to decide that it is not right to use this drone as an instrument of genocide.  The senior staff agrees that allowing Hugh to go back might introduce individuality into the Collective.  It does and we find out the unintended consequences of that later on in the series. This is an excellent episode for a post 9/11 world where we look at people as groups and rarely consider the individual.

4.  Time's Arrow
This episode begins with the Enterprise coming back to Earth due to a find in a cavern below San Francisco.  The crew learns that what appears to be Data's head was found in the cavern.  It is about 500 years old.  Through a series of events (the type that tell us we cannot fight our own destiny), Data is sent back to 19th century San Francisco.  He finds Guinan who is posing as a debutant and hosts parties with such figures as Samuel Clemens.  Data believes that somehow Guinan has come back in time with him.  In fact, she has not come back in time, this is her from 500 years earlier.  Others from the crew end up going back into time to search for Data and to stop an alien race from destroying humanity in the past.  We find out why Guinan and Picard have the relationship that they have from this episode.

3.  All Good Things
The final episode of the television series and it was a good one.  We get to revisit Encounter at Farpoint.  We also get to see the future of the crew.  Q comes back and lets Picard know that the trial never ended.  Picard, one final time, has to save humanity.  This is a great episode because we get to see Lt. Yar one more time and we get a glimpse into the future.  Of course that future is always changing and based just on the first movie (Generations) that future will be at least somewhat different than what Picard saw as jumped between time periods. 

2.  Yesterday's Enterprise
At the time this episode aired, it became the best episode of the series.  An Enterprise from the past (NCC-1701-C) comes through a rift in space/time and history is changed.  The Federation and Klingon Empire have been in a bloody 20 year war.  Lt. Yar is still alive and Worf is not a member of the Enterprise. The crew is not all chummy with each other.  In fact, you get the distinct feeling that Riker and Picard hate one another.  Guinan has a feeling that things are not right but cannot put her finger on it.  She only knows that the Federation should not be at war and that she should not know Yar.  Picard is faced with a dilemma, does he send the Enterprise C back to the fight with the Romulans in the past?  He knows they do not stand a chance to survive but if a Starfleet ship fights to defend a Klingon outpost against the Romulans then the war could be avoided. Does he convince them to stay in the 24th Century and join the fight against the Klingon Empire?  If they stay in the 24th century, they have a chance to survive.  He even makes the point to Guinan that he does not have the right to ask them to go back and to die.  She points out that 40 billion have already died in the war.  He knows keeping them in his time period will do nothing to change the fact that the Federation is close to surrender.  Once Yar finds out from Guinan that she dies a needless death, she wants to go back in the past with the Enterprise C crew.  The ship does go back to it's correct time period and the timeline is restored.  Nobody but Guinan knows it has changed.  The sending of Yar back to the past will still have effects in this time period.  She is captured by the Romulans and is sent back to Romulus where she marries a Romulan and has a child.  That child will grow up to be an important figure in the Romulan military and we find out about her in Redemption. 

1.  Best of Both Worlds
This is the season three finale and season four premier.  The Borg have decided to make their move and to assimilate humanity along with the other races in the Federation.  The Enterprise engages them and plays some hide and seek in a nebula.  On the eve of one of the battles, Picard and Guinan have a discussion about what the Borg did to her people and she reminds Picard that humanity will survive even if it is only a remnant.  Once the battle begins, the Borg win.  They capture Picard.  The Enterprise catches up to the Borg ship and an away team goes back to rescue Picard.  They come back with the news via Worf (in his saddest voice ever), "He is a Borg."  Locutus (Picard as a Borg) tells them that resistance is futile and they will be assimilated.  Riker is ready to use the deflector dish as a weapon that will destroy the Borg ship.  The season three finale ends with Riker saying the fateful words, "Mr. Worf, fire."  I would go the entire summer thinking that Picard was dead (I was 11 years old. I did not know the magic of television writers knowing how to get out of jams.).  In the season four premier, we find out that the plan did not work.  The Borg knew the plan and was prepared because they had all of Picard's knowledge and he knew about the deflector dish plan.  The Borg ship escapes and heads for sector 001 (Earth). Riker is promoted to captain. The Borg ship engages Starfleet at Wolf 359.  They decimate the fleet.  This is the battle where Captain Ben Sisko loses his wife when he was a Lt. Commander.  The Enterprise shows up in the aftermath due to not being able to go anywhere because of their use of the deflector dish.  The crew does get to the Borg ship while it is in sector 001. They are able to capture Locutus.  Once back on the Enterprise, Data accesses the cybernetics and figures out from Picard to give the Borg ship the command of sleep.  This shuts the ship down and then Data gives it an autodestruct command.  The rest is history.  The season three finale half was ranked in the top 100 television episodes of all-time by TV Guide.  It was a turning point for the series and that is when it really took off as a cultural icon.  

The Continuation of the Top 17 Episodes of Star Trek: TNG

Previously:

17.  Encounter at Farpoint
16.  The Royale
15.  Data's Day
14.  The Masterpiece Society
13.  Chain of Command
12.  The Offspring
11.  The Wounded
 

Star Trek: The Next Generation is my favorite television series of all-time. It had everything. It had action, adventure, taught moral lessons, explored humanity, was a social conscious at times and almost always told a story. Here is my top seventeen list of the greatest episodes of the series. As a side note, episodes that were two-parters, I lumped together.

10.  Parallels
This is the episode that introduced the idea of parallel universes to me.  It is a very interesting idea.  With a rift in the space-time continuum, Lt. Worf starts to jump from universe to universe.  In each universe we find that a different choice here or there changes lots of different things.  The best part of this episode is at the end when we find out there is a universe where the Borg are about to finish off the Federation and in another Riker succeeded in killing Locutus.

9.  Redemption
This is the season four finale and season five premier.  Following the awesome cliffhanger from season three to season four, this cliffhanger had me imagining all kinds of scenarios over that summer.  Part one ends with what appears to be Tasha Yar emerging from the shadows in a Romulan uniform stating that humans will come around when least expected.  Turns out that it is not Tasha but who it is, is even more intriguing.  This episode also puts Data in the commander chair of his own ship which has the viewer question their own stereotypes about people who are different and their capabilities.  We also get to see Worf serving on a Klingon ship as a Klingon warrior in a Klingon civil war.

8. The Game
This episode was way ahead of its time.  Riker brings a game back from Risa.  This game is so addictive that the entire crew becomes addicted to it.  Some writer must have heard about a plan to introduce smartphones in the next 10 to 15 years while thinking up this episode.  Wesley visits the Enterprise while on leave from Starfleet Academy and meets Ashley Judd (yes, Ashley Judd played a minor character on Star Trek: TNG).  The game is being used to control the crew by an alien.  Watch this episode and then think real hard before playing Candy Crush.

7. Tapestry
In season two, we found out that Picard has an artificial heart due to a fight when he was young.  Later on in season six, there is an accident and Picard dies due to the heart being damaged.  He awakens to find Q as the judge on the other side. He is quick to point out that Q cannot be God because the universe is not so poorly designed.  Q gives Picard the chance to change that moment and he does not get into the fight.  He never has the artificial heart and later on down the road, the accident will not cause his heart to malfunction.  However, his life turns out so much different.  He never makes it into command and is just a normal Joe working as a science officer on the Enterprise.  Once he is brought back from the dead, he and Riker have a conversation and I learned a lesson that has reminded me throughout my life to accept that both the good and bad have shaped made me into the person that I am today.

"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of. There were loose threads - untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads, it unraveled the tapestry of my life." - Picard

6.  The Inner Light
An alien race that has been extinct for many, many years sends out a probe that "tethers" itself to Picard and he lives a lifetime as one of the aliens in his mind.  They do this so that their culture will be remembered.  This episode also has a quote that I will never forget and will always remind me to enjoy what I have in front of me.

"Seize the time, Meribor, live now!  Make now always the most precious time.  Now will never come again." - Kamin (Picard's alien name)

Part One of the Top 17 of ST: TNG

Star Trek: The Next Generation is my favorite television series of all-time. It had everything. It had action, adventure, taught moral lessons, explored humanity, was a social conscious at times and almost always told a story. Here is my top seventeen list of the greatest episodes of the series. As a side note, episodes that were two-parters, I lumped together.

17.  Encounter at Farpoint
This could have been a much better episode.  I put it on the list because it was the series premier.  We learn that Riker and Troi use to be a thing, Picard is somehow connected to the Crushers due to the death of Wesley's father/Beverly's husband.  We also get to see the first time the saucer section separates from the ship and we get to see the battle bridge.  We are introduced to what I think is one of the most interesting villains in television history, Q.  He causes lots of problems for lots of cultures throughout the galaxy but I really would like to sit down and drink a beer with this guy.  In the end, the story was blah and it was obvious the technology was not up to post-season two standards but we could not have the series without the series premier.

16.  The Royale
This was a good episode.  It was kind of cheesy at points.  If anyone watched Walker Texas Ranger, you will recognize the character Texas played by Noble Willingham.  We find out that at some point, the United States expands to 52 states (thanks to the flag on the dead astronaut who went way off course) and Data can roll dice like a champ.  We learn a very valuable life lesson, if ever stuck in a casino/hotel and you cannot get out through the revolving door then just read the book left in the dead astronaut's room.  This will tell you how the story ends, you can play it out and the revolving door will start working properly.

15.  Data's Day
In this episode, we get a chance to look at a day in the life of Lt. Commander Data.  The O'Briens get married, a baby is born and the Romulans get the best of the Enterprise crew.  I learned a valuable saying in my life thanks to Commander Riker.  Some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you.

14.  The Masterpiece Society
We get to meet a human society that has perfected itself through genetic engineering.  Every person is performing the job they were designed to perform.  They have no disabilities.  Yet, we find out they are still not happy and have vulnerabilities.  Their society is saved by LaForge's VISOR that he uses because he is blind.

13.  Chain of Command
This is a two-parter.  Picard, Worf and Dr. Crusher are sent on a mission to discover and destroy a Cardassian weapon.  The weapon is a fake and was put there to capture Picard. The Enterprise is taken over by Captain Jellico who is hard on the crew and is not liked by Riker.  He also makes Counselor Troi start wearing a uniform which reminds us that she is a Lt. Commander.  It is a great episode to go back and watch.  You would think it was a written post 9/11.  Picard is tortured.  It will challenge your views of our tactics used during the war on terror.

12.  The Offspring
Data creates a new android (the robot not the cellphone) and it's a girl.  She even grows beyond Data and starts using contractions.  She learns to love.  Thanks to some admiral who wants to interfere and take her away from Data, she gets scared and this ultimately kills her.  It is a great episode that makes us ask what it means to be a parent and that parents are meant to be the most important figure's in a child's life.

11.  The Wounded
Chief O'Brien's old captain has gone after the Cardassians.  He is still fighting an old war and is convinced the Cardassians are getting ready to fight a new one.  Picard is ordered by Starfleet to keep the peace at any price.  This means that he has to protect Cardassian ships from the Phoenix even though he believes the Cardassian ships are carrying weapons.  This episode introduces The Minstrel Boy, the song that would become Chief O'Brien's background music in many episodes in DS9.